EUR 9 000 for replacing old car with electric or hybrid vehicle in Malta

The government has announced five grant schemes to encourage the transition to emission-free mobility

To encourage the transition to emission-free mobility, the Government of Malta has announced five grant schemes for various means of transport, including such for the purchase of electric vehicles, reports TVM.

Going electric

The largest incentive is for the least polluting option - scrapping an old car while buying an electric or a hybrid plug-in vehicle. In this case, a person can get a grant of EUR 9,000 towards the price of purchase. Smaller grants are also given depending on whether or not the old car is discarded, or if the purchased car is actually used. Apart from individuals, all schemes are also open for local councils, NGOs and businesses.

Another scheme covers the replacement of car engines to run on autogas, thus reducing emissions from road traffic. Here, a person can benefit from a grant of EUR 400 per vehicle in category M1 or N1, even if he has modified his vehicle to run on autogas in previous years.

A scheme to stimulate the use of dual fuel systems on heavy duty motor vehicles allows a person to apply for a grant of EUR 800 when their vehicle is equipped with such a system. The resulting reduction in smoke emissions in this case is projected to be at least 25 percent.

There are grant schemes available for prospective owners of pedelecs, mopeds, and low-performance motorcycles which run on electricity or LPG.  

Wheelchair-accessible vehicles

The fifth grant scheme covers the purchase of wheelchair-accessible vehicles that are used for carrying disabled passengers for hire or reward. For this measure, a person can benefit from a grant amounting to EUR 10,000 when licensing a new vehicle in category M1, M2 or M3.

These grant schemes are all the more important given the island nation’s reliance on vehicles with internal combustion engines. Malta has no tram, trolleybus or metro network, leaving bus and taxi as the only means of land public transportation.

Since 2015, most of the picturesque, yet antiquated bus fleet was replaced with 250 brand new vehicles equipped with up-to-date Euro 6 engines. Malta’s first fully-electric bus was launched last year.